But he would, little by little, ere
he left you, make you deny Christ altogether and take Mahomet in
his stead. And so doth he in the beginning, when he will not have
you believe him to be God. For surely, if he were not God, he would
be no good man either, since he plainly said he was God. But
through he would go never so far forth with you, yet Christ will,
as I said, not take your service by halves, but will that you shall
love him with all your whole heart. And because, while he was
living here fifteen hundred years ago, he foresaw this mind of
yours that you have now, with which you would fain serve him in
some such fashion that you might keep your worldly substance still,
but rather forsake his service than put all your substance from
you, he telleth you plainly fifteen hundred years ago with his own
mouth that he will have no such service of you, saying, "You cannot
serve both God and your riches together."
And therefore, this thing being established for a plain conclusion,
which you must needs grant if you have faith--and if you be gone
from that ground of faith already, then is all our disputation, you
know, at an end. For how should you then rather lose your goods
than forsake your faith, if you have lost your faith and let it go
already? This point, I say, therefore, being put first for a
ground, between us both twain agreed, that you have yet the faith
still and intend to keep it always still in your heart, and are
only in doubt whether you will lose all your worldly substance
rather than forsake your faith in your word alone; now shall I
reply to the point of your answer, wherein you tell me the lothness
of the loss and the comfort of the keeping hinder you from forgoing
your goods and move you rather to forsake your faith.
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